03/03/2026
Well, we got charged by an off leash dog today.
We decided to go on a family walk with my 10 month old Mal puppy, Zombie that most of you guys know, and this is what it looked like.
Trainer transparency here, at our last group class I got to see Zombie truly react for the first time, the first was towards someone in the field throwing a ball for their dog and again at two puppies in class when they began playing together. My classes are predominantly for reactive dogs and teaching their humans how to navigate training in a controlled but difficult setting, and MY dog was the only dog to react in class. Zombie is still a puppy, this was his first group class and his first “real” experience in such a busy setting and he did AMAZING considering what was being asked of him, he’s also a Malinois. This isn’t an excuse, but it is expected in a way when there is high arousal activity going on around us, so no, I don’t blame him, but I will adjust what we will be focusing on during training now.
All of that to say, be patient with your dogs and your handling. Be mindful of the situations you may be putting yourself through and don’t be afraid to reflect and see what you can do better.
